Limerick Institute of Technology will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre on Tuesday next, November 28, 2017, with a special event to mark 10 years of success, the creation of 90 companies and 850 direct high value jobs.

The Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre in conjunction with Enterprise Ireland, has delivered a unique business environment that stimulates innovation, research commercialisation, internationalisation and entrepreneurship.

LIT is central to the success of the centre by providing not only a site on campus in Moylish, but for providing entrepreneur development programmes and supports, including the Enterprise Ireland National Entrepreneur Development Programme and New Frontiers.

The Higher Education Institute also provides access to two LIT based seed funds; hosts entrepreneurs in residence and gives participants access to a global network. This valuable network includes investors, mentors, supply chain connections, research organisations, other startup ecosystem leaders and many more key individuals and organisations who help entrepreneurs start and grow a global business. LIT has supported and operated seven Enterprise, Acceleration and Incubation Centres across the Mid West and South East.

The founders of Limerick based businesses such as Emutex, Resource Kraft and Episensor were all part of the first programme introduced by the Hartnett Centre entitled LEAP.

In the last decade entrepreneurs, supported by LIT centres have created more than 850 direct high value jobs, and have raised approximately €63 million euro in public and private finance.

The Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre is also home to Shannon Applied Biotechnology Centre, LIT Food Development Unit and Acorn Research Centre.

“Co-locating R&D with startup activity in the Hartnett Centre over the last 10 years has helped to ignite a real culture of innovation and entrepreneurship,” said Vice President of Research, Development & Innovation Dr Liam Brown. “This is a model we would like to roll out to our other centres and earlier this year we moved the Interactive Systems Research Group to Croom Enterprise Centre.”

“The Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre was the first of LIT’s suite of support centres across our regions. This is a major milestone for LIT and it is fantastic to look back at what we have achieved together with our many partners including Enterprise Ireland. The impact of these centres and the jobs created by the entrepreneurs we have supported is significant.”

Prof Vincent Cunnane, President of LIT said,

“LIT is committed to continuing to grow and develop our supports for aspiring entrepreneurs across all our regions together with our partners, and we look forward to many more shared anniversaries with the companies we have supported in years to come.”.

LIT will celebrate 10 years of the Hartnett Enterprise Acceleration Centre with a special event on November 28th from 4pm in the Strand Hotel during which entrepreneurs, mentors, trainers and supporters will return to reflect, reconnect and recognise their achievements over the last decade.

The 2017 New Frontiers group will also celebrate with its end of programme awards.
​​